Tamanoya: 100% Buckwheat Soba in Tokyo’s Temple Town of Jindaiji
Stone-milled juwari (100% buckwheat) soba and a hot duck dip at Tamanoya, a hearth-warmed soba house up the slope from Jindaiji temple in Chofu, Tokyo.
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240+ field-tested travel guides across every Japanese prefecture, by Nobu — written from places he has actually stood in.
Field Notes from Every Prefecture
Every place I’ve walked. In one feed.
240+ articles, written from the places I actually stood in. Filed by region, by season, by what the trip is really about.
Things to Do in Kamikochi 2026: A Local’s Valley Guide
Kamikochi is a car-free alpine valley in Nagano, open Apr 17-Nov 15, 2026. A local guide to things to do, getting there, where to stay, and when to go.
Getting to Imari & Arita: Saga’s Pottery Towns by Train & Car
How to reach Imari and Arita from Fukuoka — the split Chikuhi Line, the limited express to Arita, the Matsuura Railway, and why a car wins.
Imari Shrine: The Vermilion Gate, the Sweets God & Tontenton
Imari Shrine in Saga: a photogenic vermilion gate over a white tunnel, a rare shrine to the god of sweets, and the Tontenton fighting festival.
Imari Bay Fireworks: Saga’s Giant Autumn Show (2026 Guide)
Imari Bay Fireworks is a rare November fireworks show in Saga, headlined by a giant 3-shaku shell fired over the bay.
Arita Sera: Where to Shop for Arita Porcelain in Saga (2026)
Arita Sera: 22 Arita-porcelain shops on one hilltop in Saga, open year-round with free parking — the easy place to buy the real thing.
Imari Ware: Japan’s First Porcelain (Arita, Old Imari & Nabeshima)
Imari ware is Japan's first porcelain — made in Arita from the 1610s, named for the port it shipped from, and exported to Europe as Old Imari.
Lake Shusenko’s Submerged Forest: Akita’s Cobalt-Blue Spring Spectacle (2026)
Each spring, snowmelt floods Akita's Lake Shusenko until the shoreline trees stand in cobalt-blue water — a submerged forest at its best in early-to-mid May, and possibly on borrowed time.
Japan in August 2026: A Day-by-Day Calendar of Festivals, Fireworks & the Year’s Busiest Week
A local's day-by-day calendar of Japan in August 2026 — Tohoku's great festivals, the biggest fireworks, the Obon travel crush, and where to escape the heat.
Japan in July 2026: A Day-by-Day Calendar of Festivals, Fireworks & the Mountains Opening
A local's day-by-day calendar of Japan in July 2026 — the rains lifting, Mt Fuji opening, Gion Matsuri, the great fireworks nights, and where to escape the heat.